Combination snow blower and plow, and retrofit kit

ABSTRACT

A combination snow blower and plow apparatus provides at least two operating configurations including (i) a standard-width snow blowing configuration, and (ii) an expanded-width plowing and blowing configuration. Optionally, the apparatus may further be capable of an expanded-width snow plowing configuration. In some embodiments, the apparatus includes a pair of snow-pushing plate assemblies that are pivotably attached to a snow blower mechanism, and are repositionable or reconfigurable to provide different plowing or blowing configurations, such as by directing snow into a snow blower intake or by pushing an accumulation of snow ahead of the blower mechanism. In other embodiments, the apparatus includes a pair of removable snow-pushing wings. The snow-pushing plate assemblies may be configured as a kit for retrofitting existing snow blowers. Optionally, inlet-blocking plates may be used to block the snow blower intake and form a substantially continuous plow across the front of the snow blower mechanism.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the priority benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61/481,419, filed May 2, 2011, and of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61/598,515, filed Feb. 14, 2012, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to snow moving equipment, and more particularly, to powered snow blowers or throwers and snow plows.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Two primary types of powered snow-moving equipment include (i) snow blowers or throwers that receive snow through an inlet and use a powered auger or rotary paddle to discharge the snow a distance away from the snow blower, and (ii) snow plows that use one or more blades to push the snow from one area to another, generally without lifting the snow from the ground.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides, in its various forms, a combination snow blower and snow plow apparatus that can be readily converted between a pure snow blowing configuration, and/or a pure snow plowing configuration, and/or a hybrid snow blowing and plowing configuration. This allows an operator to select an optimal configuration for a given situation such as variations in the snow depth and/or density, the size or shape of an area to be cleared of snow, or the presence of obstructions. The combination snow blower and plow apparatus includes a substantially conventional snow blower mechanism, but includes one or more movably-mounted snow-pushing plates or blades that can be retracted or extended depending on whether the operator wishes to push snow or direct it into (or away from) the snow blower using the snow-pushing plates. The plates can also be moved to the retracted non-use position to operate the apparatus in a pure snow blower configuration. Optionally, an inlet-blocking plate is coupled to each snow-pushing plate for selectively blocking the snow from entering the snow blower intake. Thus, the combination snow blower and plow apparatus is configurable to clear a path that is substantially wider than the snow blower mechanism itself, either by pushing the snow as a plow, or by directing the snow into or away from the snow blower intake using wings or plates that extend out from the snow blower mechanism.

In one form of the present invention, a combination snow blower and plow apparatus including a snow blower mechanism with a housing having opposite sides defining a snow inlet portion and a snow discharge portion in communication with the snow inlet portion. The apparatus further includes a snow-pushing plate pivotably coupled to one of the opposite sides of the housing, with a support strut for supporting the plate at different angles relative to the housing. The snow-pushing plate is independently pivotable between a plurality of extended snow-pushing positions in which the snow-pushing plate extends outwardly at an angle from a respective one of the sides of the housing, and also to a retracted position in which the snow-pushing plate is positioned alongside and generally parallel to the opposite side of the housing. The support strut has first and second strut portions that are coupled to the side of the housing and the snow-pushing plate, respectively, the first and second strut portions being repositionable relative to one another to provide different lengths of the support strut for supporting the snow-pushing plate in the plurality of extended snow-pushing positions. The first and second strut portions are selectively pivotable relative to one another at a joint portion for positioning the snow-pushing plate at the retracted configuration. When the snow-pushing plate is in the extended snow-pushing position, the snow-pushing plate is operable to direct snow either toward or away from the snow inlet portion as the snow blower mechanism is moved through an accumulation of snow, and when the snow-pushing plate is in the retracted configuration, the snow-pushing plates substantially do not engage the snow or only minimally engage the snow to push the snow away from the respective sides of the housing as the snow blower mechanism is moved through the accumulation of snow.

In another form of the present invention, a retrofit kit is provided for use with a snow blower having a housing with opposite sides and defining a snow inlet portion between the opposite sides, the snow blower further having a snow discharge portion in communication with the snow inlet portion. The kit includes a plate assembly configured for attachment to the snow blower, the plate assembly including a mounting plate, an outwardly-extendable snow-pushing plate, and a support strut. The mounting plate has a forward end portion and a rearward end portion, and is configured for attachment to one of the opposite sides of the snow blower housing. The snow-pushing plate is coupled to the mounting plate via a hinge and configured to be pivotally movable between an extended snow-pushing configuration in which the snow-pushing plates extend outwardly at an angle from the snow blower, and a retracted configuration in which the snow-pushing plates are positioned alongside and generally parallel to the opposite sides of the housing of the snow blower. The support strut has first and second strut portions that are coupled to the rearward end portion of the mounting plate and the snow-pushing plate, respectively. The support strut supports the snow-pushing plate in the extended snow-pushing position, while the first and second strut portions are selectively pivotable relative to one another at a joint portion for positioning the snow-pushing plate at the retracted configuration.

Optionally, the mounting plate includes a support tab that projects outwardly to support the support strut when the first and second strut portions are pivoted relative to one another at the joint portion and the snow-pushing plate is in the retracted configuration.

Optionally, an elastic retaining cord is provided which has a tethered proximal end portion coupled to one of the snow-pushing plate and the mounting plate, the retainer cord further having a distal end portion with an enlarged portion or member having a larger cross sectional dimension than a diameter of the retainer cord. A receiving element is coupled to the other of the snow-pushing plate and the mounting plate, and defines an opening having a smaller cross sectional dimension than the enlarged portion or member at the distal end portion of the retainer cord. The opening of the receiving element is configured to selectively receive a portion of the retainer cord while the receiving element is engaged by the enlarged portion or member, to thereby retain the snow-pushing plate in the retracted position.

The snow-pushing plate or plates may each include an inboard edge portion that is configured to extend inboard of the respective opposite side of the snow blower housing when the snow-pushing plate or plates are in the extended position. This allows the snow-pushing plate or plates to direct an accumulation of snow into the snow inlet portion of the snow blower housing including the inboard edge portion, to thereby prevent a portion of the accumulation of snow from passing through a gap defined between the snow-pushing plate or plates and the respective opposite side of the snow blower housing, as the snow blower mechanism is moved through the accumulation of snow.

In one aspect, the apparatus includes a mounting plate that is coupled to the housing for mounting the snow-pushing plate to the housing. The mounting plate includes at least one track that defines a longitudinal slot, and the snow-pushing plate includes a pin at a proximal end portion thereof. The pin of the snow-pushing plate is received in the longitudinal slot of the track to permit both translating and pivoting movement of the snow-pushing plate relative to the mounting plate.

In another aspect, the snow-pushing plate is pivotable about a substantially horizontal pivot axis to permit movement of the snow-pushing plate from one of the extended snow-pushing positions to the retracted position.

Optionally, the snow-pushing plate is pivotably coupled to a pivot-mount plate, and the pivot-mount plate is pivotably coupled to the snow blower housing for rotation of the pivot-mount plate and the snow-pushing plate about the substantially horizontal pivot axis. A fastener may be provided at the pivot-mount plate; the fastener spaced radially from the substantially horizontal pivot axis and configured to selectively engage the snow blower housing side at two locations corresponding to the retracted and extended positions of the snow-pushing plate.

According to another form of the present invention, a combination snow blower and plow apparatus includes a snow blower mechanism having a housing with opposite sides, and at least one snow-pushing plate that is movably coupled to one of the sides of the housing. The snow blower housing defines a snow inlet portion between the opposite sides, and has a snow discharge portion in communication with the snow inlet portion. The snow-pushing plate is movable between an extended snow-pushing configuration in which the plate extends outwardly at an angle from the side of the housing, and a retracted configuration in which the snow-pushing plate is positioned alongside and generally parallel to the side of the housing. When the snow-pushing plate is in the extended snow-pushing configuration, the snow-pushing plate is capable of pushing an accumulation of snow ahead of the plate and may direct the snow toward the snow inlet portion as the snow blower mechanism is driven or moved forward. When the snow-pushing plate is in the retracted configuration, the snow-pushing plate does not engage the snow, or only minimally engages the snow to push the snow away from the side of the housing as the snow blower mechanism is moved forward.

In one aspect, a support member is coupled between the snow-pushing plate and the side of the housing to which the plate is pivotally attached, for fixedly supporting the snow-pushing plate in the extended snow-pushing configuration.

In another aspect, the apparatus includes a snow-pushing plate coupled to each side of the housing. The snow-pushing plates are independently movable or pivotable between respective extended and retracted configurations.

In yet another aspect, the apparatus includes a respective inlet-blocking plate that is movably coupled to each of the snow-pushing plates. The inlet-blocking plates are repositionable between an inlet-blocking use configuration, in which the inlet-blocking plates cooperate to substantially obstruct the snow inlet portion of the snow blower mechanism, and a stored configuration in which the inlet-blocking plates are positioned along the respective snow-pushing plates. When the inlet-blocking plates are positioned in their respective inlet-blocking use configurations, the inlet-blocking plates cooperate to limit or prevent snow from entering the snow inlet or intake of the snow blower mechanism as the apparatus is moved through an accumulation of snow. This allows the snow blower mechanism to push the snow in front of the snow blower mechanism, rather than permitting the snow to enter the snow inlet. Optionally, the inlet-blocking plates are pivotally coupled to respective snow-pushing plates.

In a further aspect, one of the inlet-blocking plates includes a first latch member portion, and the other inlet blocking plate includes a second latch member portion. When the inlet-blocking plates are in their respective inlet-blocking use configurations, the first and second latch member portions are engageable with one another to retain the inlet-blocking plates in their respective inlet-blocking use configurations.

Optionally, one of the latch member portions includes a slide member and the other latch member portion includes a receiver. The slide member substantially aligns for engagement with the receiver when the inlet-blocking plates are in their respective inlet-blocking use configurations.

In a still further aspect, each of the inlet-blocking plates and each of the snow-pushing plates includes a flexible scraper blade at a lower end portion of the respective plate. Optionally, these flexible scraper blades are replaceable.

In another aspect, the snow blower mechanism of the apparatus is a two-stage snow blower having an intake auger positioned in the snow inlet portion, and a discharge fan positioned in the snow discharge portion.

In yet another aspect, the apparatus is used in combination with a tractor that is operable to drive the snow blower mechanism through an accumulation of snow, and to simultaneously and/or selectively power the snow blower mechanism to forcibly discharge snow through the snow outlet.

According to another form of the present invention, a plate assembly is provided for attachment to a snow blower. The plate assembly includes a pair of outwardly-extendable snow-pushing plates and an inlet-blocking plate attached to each snow-pushing plate. Each snow-pushing plate is pivotally coupled to an opposite side of a snow blower via respective hinges, and is movable between an extended snow-pushing configuration in which the snow-pushing plates extend outwardly at an angle from the snow blower, and a retracted configuration in which the snow-pushing plates are positioned alongside and generally parallel to the snow blower. The inlet-blocking plates are pivotally coupled to the snow-pushing plate via respective hinges, and are repositionable between an inlet-blocking configuration in which the inlet-blocking plates cooperate to substantially obstruct a snow inlet portion of the snow blower, and a stored configuration in which the inlet-blocking plates are positioned along the respective snow-pushing plates. When the inlet-blocking plates are positioned in their respective inlet-blocking configurations, the inlet-blocking plates cooperate to substantially limit or prevent snow from entering the snow blower so that the snow blower is operable to push the snow with the inlet-blocking plates when the snow blower is moved through an accumulation of snow. When the snow-pushing plates are positioned in their respective snow-pushing configurations, the snow-pushing plates cooperate with the inlet-blocking plates to clear the snow from a surface in the manner of a snow plow having an overall width that is greater than that of the snow blower.

According to yet another form of the present invention, a retrofit kit is provided for a snow blower. The snow blower for which the retrofit kit is intended typically has a housing with opposite sides and defines a snow inlet portion between the opposite sides. The snow blower further includes a snow discharge portion in communication with the snow inlet portion. The kit includes a pair of plate assemblies, each with a snow-pushing plate, an inlet-blocking plate, and hinges for pivotally mounting the snow-pushing plates and inlet-blocking plates. The snow-pushing plates are configured to be pivotally coupled to opposite sides of the snow blower and movable between an extended snow-pushing configuration in which the snow-pushing plates extend outwardly at an angle from the snow blower, and a retracted configuration in which the snow-pushing plates are positioned alongside and generally parallel to the snow blower. Hinges are provided for coupling each snow-pushing plate to the snow blower. The inlet-blocking plates are configured to be pivotally coupled to each snow-pushing plate so that the inlet-blocking plates being repositionable between an inlet-blocking configuration in which the inlet-blocking plates cooperate to substantially obstruct the snow inlet portion of the snow blower, and a stored configuration in which the inlet-blocking plates are positioned substantially along the respective snow-pushing plates. Additional hinges are provided for coupling each inlet-blocking plate to a respective snow-pushing plate.

According to another form of the present invention, a combination snow blower and plow apparatus includes a snow blower mechanism and a removable snow-pushing wing assembly. The snow blower mechanism includes a housing with opposite sides that define a snow inlet portion between the opposite sides, the snow blower mechanism further having a snow discharge portion in communication with the snow inlet portion. The snow-pushing wing assembly includes a snow-pushing surface and a mounting surface with a first mounting track disposed at the mounting surface. A second mounting track is disposed at one of the sides of the housing, and is configured for releasable engagement with the first mounting track. A fastener is positioned at the mounting surface of the snow-pushing wing assembly for selectively engaging the one of the sides of the housing and for securing the snow-pushing wing assembly at the housing when the first and second mounting tracks engage one another. The snow-pushing wing assembly is separable from the housing upon disengagement of the fastener from the one of the sides of the housing, and upon disengagement of the first mounting track from the second mounting track. Optionally, a pair of snow-pushing wing assemblies and corresponding mounting tracks may be provided separately from the snow blower mechanism, as in a wing assembly kit for mounting to an existing snow blower.

In one aspect, one of the mounting tracks has an I-shaped cross section and the other mounting tracks has a C-shaped cross section for receiving a portion of the I-shaped cross section. Optionally, at least two of the first mounting tracks and at least two of the second mounting tracks are provided, for engagement with corresponding ones of the first mounting tracks.

In another aspect, the mounting tracks are oriented substantially vertically and are configured to permit substantially vertical sliding movement of the snow-pushing wing assembly relative to the snow blower housing when the fastener is disengaged from the snow blower housing.

In a further aspect, a flexible or semi-rigid scraper blade is positioned along a lower end portion of the snow-pushing surface.

Accordingly, the combination snow blower and plow apparatus of the present invention provides an operator with two or more of the options of (i) using the snow blower in a conventional manner, i.e., with the snow-pushing plates and inlet-blocking plates in their respective retracted positions, (ii) using the apparatus in a plowing configuration in which the snow-pushing plates and inlet-blocking plates are extended to form a substantially continuous snow-pushing surface that limits or blocks snow from entering the snow blower intake, and (iii) using the apparatus in a hybrid plowing/blowing arrangement in which the snow-pushing plates are extended and the inlet-blocking plates are retracted, so that the snow-pushing plates direct snow from beyond the opposite sides of the snow blower housing into the snow intake, so that an enlarged path of snow can be cleared and discharged through the discharge portion of the snow blower mechanism. The arrangement allows the combination snow blower and plow to be used or stored in a compact configuration with the plates retracted, or to be configured for use in an expanded-width configuration that allows the apparatus to be used as either a snow blower or a snow plow.

These and other objects, advantages, purposes, and features of the present invention will become more apparent upon review of the following specification in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a combination snow blower and plow apparatus in accordance with the present invention, with snow-pushing plates and inlet-blocking plates in their respective extended configurations to form a substantially continuous plow blade;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the combination snow blower and plow apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front elevation of the combination snow blower and plow apparatus;

FIG. 4 is a left side elevation of the combination snow blower and plow apparatus;

FIG. 5 is another perspective view of the apparatus, with the snow-pushing plates in their extended configurations and the inlet-blocking plates in their retracted configurations;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a front elevation of the apparatus of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is another perspective view of the combination snow blower and plow apparatus, with its snow-pushing plates and inlet-blocking plates in their respective retracted configurations;

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a front elevation of the apparatus of FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the combination snow blower and plow apparatus attached to a self-propelled tractor;

FIG. 12 is a front perspective view of another combination snow blower and plow apparatus in accordance with the present invention, with snow-pushing plates shown in their extended positions;

FIG. 13 is a top-rear perspective view of the combination snow blower and plow apparatus of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a left side elevation of the apparatus of FIG. 12;

FIG. 15 is a rear perspective view of the apparatus of FIG. 12, with its snow-pushing plates shown in their retracted positions;

FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of the region designated XVI in FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a left side elevation of the apparatus of FIG. 15;

FIG. 18 is a right side elevation of the apparatus of FIG. 15, with its right snow-pushing plate removed for clarity;

FIG. 19 is a front elevation of the apparatus of FIG. 15;

FIG. 20 is an enlarged view of the region designated XX in FIG. 18;

FIG. 21 is a rear perspective view of the left snow-pushing plate assembly of the apparatus of FIG. 12, and shown in its extended position;

FIG. 22 is an enlarged perspective view of the support strut from the snow-pushing plate assembly of FIG. 21;

FIG. 23 is a further enlarged view of the region designated XXIII in FIG. 22;

FIGS. 24A-24C are rear perspective views of the apparatus depicting three sequential steps for repositioning the right snow-pushing plate assembly from the extended position to the retracted position;

FIG. 25 is a rear perspective view of the right snow-pushing plate assembly with its hinge pin being removed to facilitate separating the snow-pushing plate from the assembly;

FIG. 26 is a front perspective view of the apparatus of FIG. 12, having its snow-pushing plates removed

FIG. 27 is a front perspective view of another snow-pushing plate for use with the combination snow blower and plow apparatus;

FIG. 28 is a rear perspective view of the snow-pushing plate of FIG. 27;

FIG. 29 is an exploded front perspective view of the snow-pushing plate of FIG. 27;

FIG. 30 is a rear perspective view of another combination snow blower and plow apparatus in accordance with the present invention, shown with a snow-pushing plate in its extended position;

FIG. 31 is a top plan view of the combination snow blower and plow apparatus of FIG. 30;

FIG. 32 is a right side elevation of the combination snow blower and plow apparatus of FIG. 30;

FIG. 33 is another right side elevation of the combination snow blower and plow apparatus of FIG. 30, shown with its snow-pushing plate in its retracted position;

FIG. 34 is a front perspective view of another combination snow blower and plow apparatus in accordance with the present invention, shown with its snow-pushing plates in their respective extended positions;

FIG. 35 is an enlarged perspective view of the region designated XXXV in FIG. 34;

FIG. 36 is an enlarged perspective view of the region designated XXXVI in FIG. 34;

FIG. 37 is an enlarged perspective view of the region designated XXXVII in FIG. 34;

FIG. 38 is a left side elevation of the combination snow blower and plow apparatus of FIG. 34;

FIG. 39 is an enlarged view of the region designated XXXIX in FIG. 38;

FIG. 40 is a front perspective view of the combination snow blower and plow apparatus of FIG. 34, shown with its right snow-pushing plate in a partially retracted configuration;

FIG. 41 is an enlarged view of the region designated XLI in FIG. 40;

FIG. 42 is another front perspective view of the combination snow blower and plow apparatus of FIG. 34, shown with its right snow-pushing plate in its fully retracted position;

FIG. 43 is a front perspective view of another combination snow blower and plow apparatus in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 44 is a top plan view of the combination snow blower and plow apparatus of FIG. 43;

FIG. 45 is an enlarged view of the region designated XLV in FIG. 44;

FIG. 46 is a rear perspective view of the combination snow blower and plow apparatus of FIG. 43;

FIG. 47 is a front perspective view of the combination snow blower and plow apparatus of FIG. 43, shown with the right snow-pushing wing removed for clarity and the left snow-pushing wing shown in the process of removal or installation;

FIG. 48 is an enlarged view of the region designated XLVIII in FIG. 47; and

FIG. 49 is an enlarged view of the region designated XLIX in FIG. 47.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings and the illustrative embodiments depicted therein, a combination snow blower and plow 10 includes a snow blower mechanism 12 having a housing 14, to which left and right snow-pushing plate assemblies 16 a, 16 b are attached. Snow blower mechanism 12 includes a front intake or inlet portion 18 and a discharge portion 20 for receiving and ejecting or discharging snow, respectively, as the combination snow blower and plow 10 is pushed through an accumulation of snow in certain configurations. Left snow-pushing plate assembly 16 a and right snow-pushing plate assembly 16 b are each independently repositionable or reconfigurable between (i) a full-width plowing configuration in which intake portion 18 is substantially blocked (FIGS. 1-4 and 11), (ii) a full-width snow blowing configuration in which intake portion 18 is fully open for receiving snow (FIGS. 5-7), and (iii) a regular-width snow blowing configuration in which snow-pushing plate assemblies 16 a, 16 b are folded back alongside housing 14 (FIGS. 8-10). Thus, combination snow blower and plow 10 is reconfigurable by an operator to function as a regular-width snow blower, as an extra-wide snow blower, or as an extra-wide snow plow. Optionally, the combination snow blower and plow can be configurable as a regular-width snow plow, as will be described below.

Snow blower mechanism 12 may be a substantially conventional one or two stage snow blower. In the form shown in FIGS. 1-10, the snow blower is a two-stage snow blower, as shown, including an intake auger 22 positioned in intake portion 18, and a blower fan 24 positioned in discharge portion 20 for ejecting or discharging snow received from intake auger 22 through a discharge chute 26. However, it will be appreciated that snow blower mechanism 12 represents substantially any type of snow blower, including a single-stage snow blower having a high speed intake/discharge auger or paddle that receives snow through an inlet and discharges the snow through an outlet in a single step, or even a high speed rotating brush mechanism that uses a cylindrical rotary brush for discharging snow forwardly and to the side of the snow blower mechanism.

The two-stage snow blower mechanism 12 of the illustrated embodiment includes respective left and right opposite sides or sidewalls 14 a, 14 b of housing 14. Left and right sidewalls 14 a, 14 b define the left and right ends of intake portion 18, and rotatably support intake auger 22 at respective bushings or bearings 28 a, 28 b in a conventional manner. A respective support tab 30 a, 30 b extends rearwardly from a rear portion of each sidewall 14 a, 14 b. A propeller shaft 32 projects rearwardly from discharge portion 20 for driving engagement by a drive shaft of a tractor or the like, and extends forwardly into housing 14 to drive intake auger 22 via a gearbox 34. Blower fan 24 comprises a plurality of fan blades extending outwardly from propeller shaft 32 where it passes through discharge portion 20 of snow blower mechanism 12.

In the illustrated embodiment, each snow-pushing plate assembly 16 a, 16 b includes a respective outwardly-extendable and substantially planar snow-pushing wing or plate 36 a, 36 b that is pivotably coupled to the respective left or right sidewall 14 a, 14 b of housing 14 via a respective hinge 38 a, 38 b. Each snow-pushing plate assembly 16 a, 16 b further includes a respective inlet-blocking plate 40 a, 40 b that is pivotally coupled to a respective wing 36 a, 36 b via a hinge 42 a, 42 b. A removable support member or rod 44 a, 44 b extends from a respective one of support tabs 30 a, 30 b at the rear of left and right sidewalls 14 a, 14 b of housing 14, to a respective support tab 46 a or 46 b that extends rearwardly from the distal end portion of each outwardly-extended wing 36 a or 36 b. A housing recess 48 extends laterally inwardly along housing 14, from each of left and right sidewalls 14 a, 14 b (near support tabs 30 a, 30 b), and receives or accommodates support tabs 46 a, 46 b when the wings 36 a, 36 b are pivoted or folded rearwardly to an out-of-use configuration as shown in FIGS. 8-10.

Hinges 38 a, 38 b permit wings 36 a, 36 b to be positioned between an angled, outwardly-extending snow-pushing or snow-channeling configuration (FIGS. 1-7) in which support rods 44 a, 44 b are used to fix the angular position of the wings 36 a, 36 b relative to the respective housing sidewalls 14 a, 14 b, to a retracted or folded-back configuration (FIGS. 8-10) in which support rods 44 a, 44 b are removed and wings 36 a, 36 b are substantially parallel to the respective left and right sidewalls 14 a, 14 b of housing 14. Hinges 38 a, 38 b may be attached to left and right sidewalls 14 a, 14 b and left and right wings 36 a, 36 b via substantially any conventional means, such as with mechanical fasteners including threaded screws or bolts, with rivets, by welding, or similar methods.

In the illustrated embodiment, the length of each support rod 44 a, 44 b is selected so that outwardly-extended wings 36 a, 36 b are angled forwardly from left and right sidewalls 14 a, 14 b by an angle that is about twenty degrees forward of perpendicular, as best shown in FIGS. 2 and 6. This angle minimizes the amount of snow spilling around the outside edges of outwardly-extended wings 36 a, 36 b and permits the funneling or channeling of snow into intake 18 when inlet-blocking plates 40 a, 40 b are not deployed (FIG. 5). However, it will be appreciated that the angles of outwardly extended wings 36 a, 36 b relative to left and right sidewalls 14 a, 14 b may be varied as needed or desired, such as by using support rods of different lengths than the support rods shown, or by adding more support tabs along the left and right sidewalls 14 a, 14 b and/or along the rear surfaces of the left and right wings 36 a, 36 b.

For example, longer support rods will position wings 36 a, 36 b further forward (i.e., at a greater or more obtuse angle relative to the respective sidewall 14 a, 14 b), and shorter support rods will allow the outwardly-extending wings 36 a, 36 b to be positioned at angles closer to perpendicular to sidewalls 14 a, 14 b, or even at acute angles relative to the sidewalls, which would tend to push snow away from the sidewalls 14 a, 14 b like a wedge, without channeling it into intake 18. Optionally, the support rods may be configured as adjustable-length rods to allow for infinite varying of the angles of the respective wing 36 a, 36 b. Optionally, the support rods may further include spring shock absorbers that allow the rod to expand and contract such as when a solid object is encountered by one of the wings, to permit at least limited pivoting movement or angle-variation of the respective outwardly-extending wings 36 a, 36 b.

Hinges 42 a, 42 b permit inlet-blocking plates 40 a, 40 b to be positioned between an inlet-blocking or plowing configuration (FIGS. 1-3) and a retracted configuration in which inlet-blocking plates 40 a, 40 b are pivoted to be substantially flush or parallel against outwardly-extending wings 36 a, 36 b (FIGS. 5-10). Thus, in the retracted configuration, inlet-blocking plates 40 a, 40 b cover a substantial portion of the forward or snow-engaging portions of outwardly-extending wings or plates 36 a, 36 b. A pivot latch 48 a, 48 b is positioned at the distal end portions of the wings 36 a, 36 b. Each pivot latch 48 a, 48 b includes a respective latch plate 50 a, 50 b that extends or hangs downwardly over a portion of each inlet-blocking plate 40 a, 40 b in the retracted configuration, to thereby retain the inlet-blocking plates 40 a, 40 b against the respective wings 36 a, 36 b. Latch plates 50 a, 50 b are spaced outwardly from the forward surface of each wing 36 a, 36 b in its outwardly-extending position, and may be manually moved or pivoted upwardly to allow each inlet-blocking plate 40 a, 40 b to be pivoted to its inlet-blocking position.

Optionally, the hinges that attach the inlet-blocking plates to the wings may be arranged to have the same pivotal axis as the hinges that attached the wings to the sidewalls of the snow blower mechanism. For example, the hinges that attach the inlet-blocking plates to the wings may be arranged to have the same pivotal axis as the hinges that attached the wings to the sidewalls, while allowing the inlet-blocking plates to pivot at least about 270 degrees with respect to the snow blower mechanism and the wings. This would allow the inlet-blocking plates to be deployed to the inlet-blocking position regardless of the position of the wings, so that the combination snow blower and snow plow could be operated as a regular-width snow plow without the added surface-clearing width of the extended wings, if desired.

Referring to FIGS. 1-3, each inlet-blocking plate 40 a, 40 b includes a portion of a retainer latch 52 that is operable to hold the inlet-blocking plates 40 a, 40 b in their respective inlet-blocking positions. In the illustrated embodiment, retainer latch 52 includes a slide-bar 54 that is movably mounted in a pair of receivers 56 a mounted to left inlet-blocking plate 40 a. Slide bar 54 includes a distal end portion 54 a that can be extended outwardly beyond the distal end of left inlet-blocking plate 40 a to engage a corresponding receiver 56 b mounted to right inlet-blocking plate 40 b. Receivers 56 a on left inlet-blocking plate 40 a align with receiver 56 b on right inlet-blocking plate 40 b when the inlet-blocking plates are both in the inlet-blocking positions. A knob or gripping portion 54 b of slide bar 54 allows an operator to readily move or slide the slide bar 54 between the extended/latching position of FIGS. 1-3, and a retracted/un-latching configuration in which distal end portion 54 a of slide bar 54 disengages receiver 56 b on inlet-blocking plate 40 b. Gripping portion 54 b also limits the travel or movement of slide bar 54 by contacting and stopping against one or the other of receivers 56 a when slide bar 54 has reached its travel limits. Thus, inlet-blocking plates 40 a, 40 b can be securely retained in their extended or inlet-blocking positions by retainer latch 52, regardless of whether the combination snow blower and plow 10 is moved forward or backward. Similarly, inlet-blocking plates 40 a, 40 b can also be retained in their respective retracted configurations or positions by respective pivot latches 48 a, 48 b, regardless of whether the combination snow blower and plow 10 is moved forward or in reverse. It will be appreciated that many different types of locks or latches may be suitable for retaining inlet-blocking plates 40 a, 40 b in their inlet-blocking positions.

In the illustrated embodiment, each wing 36 a, 36 b includes a respective flexible scraper blade 58 a, 58 b along a lower end portion thereof. Likewise, inlet-blocking plates 40 a, 40 b include respective flexible scraper blades 60 a, 60 b at their bottom end portions. The flexible scraper blades may be removable and replaceable as wear items, and their flexibility or resilience permits substantial clearing of a surface of accumulated snow while accommodating surface variations that might otherwise lift the snow-pushing plate assemblies 16 a, 16 b above the surface being cleared. The flexible scraper blades 58 a, 58 b and 60 a, 60 b may be made of stiff rubber or polymeric material, for example, which remains at least somewhat compliant or resilient in sub-freezing temperatures.

Each substantially planar wing 36 a, 36 b includes a respective forwardly-projecting upper edge portion 62 a, 62 b that stiffens the wings to help limit or prevent flexing of the wings as the combination snow blower and plow 10 is pushed forwardly through an accumulation of snow. Optionally, a rearward-projecting upper edge portion and/or other stiffening elements such as angled edge portions or stiffening ribs may be used to strengthen or stiffen each wing as desired. In the illustrated embodiment, inlet-blocking plates 40 a, 40 b are shorter in height than the wings 36 a, 36 b to which they are attached, and thus block only a lower portion of intake 18 when they are in their respective inlet-blocking configurations, such as shown in FIG. 3. Although the height of inlet-blocking plates 40 a, 40 b may tend to permit a limited amount of snow to spill over the top edges of the plates, it will be appreciated that this spilled snow will be collected in the housing 14 and/or discharged through discharge portion 20 of snow blower mechanism 12 if intake auger 22 and blower fan 24 are operating. Thus, there is little risk that any appreciable amount of snow that spills over the top of inlet-blocking plates 40 a, 40 b will be left on the surface that is being cleared.

Optionally, and as shown in FIGS. 5 and 8, the hinges 38 a, 38 b may include hinge plates with respective forward-lower corner portions 38 c that project forwardly of a radiused forward-lower corner portion 14 c of each housing sidewall 14 a, 14 b to substantially limit or prevent snow from passing between the hinge 38 a, 38 b and the corresponding housing sidewall 14 a, 14 b as the snow blower and plow apparatus is moved through an accumulation of snow. An inboard edge portion 58 c of each scraper blade 58 a, 58 b extends at least slightly laterally inwardly (i.e., inboard of the housing's sidewall 14 a or 14 b), and cooperates with forward-lower corner portion 38 c of each hinge 38 a, 38 b. This facilitates snow-pushing plates 36 a, 36 b and snow blower mechanism 12 cooperating to clear a substantially uninterrupted path through an accumulation of snow, without leaving lines of snow or other materials that could otherwise bypass the inlet portion 18 of the snow blower housing 14, such as by passing through a gap defined between the snow-pushing plates and the respective sidewalls of the snow blower housing. It is envisioned that some snow blower housings may include sidewalls that are shaped so that the hinges or hinge plates need not extend forward and downward to the extent shown in FIGS. 5 and 8, such as with the snow blower housing sidewalls of FIG. 4, in which case the scraper blade's inboard edge portions 58 c will direct snow inboard of the snow blower housing sidewall without need for an extended hinge plate.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a combination snow blower and plow that can be operated in any of at least three different modes or configurations for pushing/plowing snow and/or blowing or discharging snow a distance away from the combination snow blower and plow. Combination snow blower and plow 10 can be readily configured by an operator to a pure plowing configuration with wings 36 a, 36 b extended outwardly from left and right sidewalls 14 a, 14 b, and with inlet-blocking plates 40 a, 40 b extended and latched in their inlet-blocking positions (FIGS. 1-4). An operator may readily reconfigure combination snow blower and plow 10 to an extended-width snow plowing configuration in which wings 36 a, 36 b are left in an outwardly-extending position with inlet-blocking plates 40 a, 40 b retracted and retained against wing 36 a, 36 b by pivot latches 48 a, 48 b to channel or direct snow into intake 18 (FIGS. 5-7). An operator may further configure combination snow blower and plow 10 to a standard-width snow blowing configuration in which inlet-blocking plates 40 a, 40 b are pivoted or folded against the respective wings 36 a, 36 b, which are pivoted or folded back against the respective left and right sidewalls 14 a, 14 b of housing 14 (FIGS. 8-10). The regular-width snow blowing configuration of FIGS. 8-10 may also be used as a compact storage configuration for combination snow blower and plow 10, since this configuration occupies the least lateral and longitudinal space.

The combination snow blower and plow 10 can be pushed or pulled along a surface to be cleared of snow by a tractor 64 (FIG. 11), which couples to the rear of combination snow blower and plow 10 at discharge portion 20. Typically, tractor 64 will have a power take-off (PTO) at its front end, for rotatably driving propeller shaft 32, to thereby drive intake auger 22 and blower fan 24 for operation of snow blower mechanism 12. However, it will be appreciated that combination snow blower and plow 10 may be coupled to a tractor or similar machine having other types of PTO's, such as a pulley and belt drive. In addition, the combination snow blower and plow may be coupled to and used with other machines or tractors that lack a PTO, and thus may be used only in a pure plowing configuration, if desired. It will be further appreciated that tractor 64 represents substantially any self-propelled vehicle or engine or motor-driven machine capable of pushing or pulling combination snow blower and plow 10, including a lawn tractor, farm tractor, truck, or the like, including an engine or motor-driven self-propelled machine that is integrated with (i.e., is non-separable from) combination snow blower and plow 10.

Optionally, another combination snow blower and plow of the present invention may be reconfigurable between a standard-width snow blowing configuration and one of a plurality of expanded-width snow blowing and clearing configurations. For example, and with reference to FIGS. 12-26, an alternative combination snow blower and plow apparatus 110 includes a snow blower mechanism 112 having a housing 114 to which a pair of snow-pushing plate assemblies 116 is attached (FIGS. 12 and 13). Many of the components of combination snow blower and plow apparatus 110 are substantially identical or similar to like components of the above-described snow blower and plow apparatus 10, such that comparable components of apparatus 110 are given like numerals by the addition of 100, and the correspondingly-numbered components may be understood with reference to their counterparts in the above discussion of apparatus 10. For example, combination snow blower and plow 110 includes an inlet or intake portion 118 and a discharge portion 120, which correspond to inlet 18 and discharge portion 20 of combination snow blower and plow 10.

Each snow-pushing plate assembly 116 includes a mounting plate 162 attached to a respective left or right sidewall 114 a, 114 b of housing 114 (FIGS. 12 and 13). Mounting plates 162 are coupled to the respective sidewalls of housing 114 via welds, rivets, threaded fasteners, clips, latches or the like, so that the mounting plates 162 remain substantially fixed relative to housing 114. Each mounting plate 162 includes a forward end portion 162 a to which a hinge 138 is attached for pivotably coupling a respective snow-pushing plate 136, such as shown in FIGS. 13, 14, 21, and 24A-24C. Each mounting plate 162 further includes a rearward end portion 162 b for receiving a support strut 144 and for retaining snow-pushing plate 136 in its retracted position, such as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, and as will be described in more detail below.

In the illustrated embodiment, snow-pushing plates 136 are two-piece units including a molded body 164 defining a substantially planar front panel 166 and a perimeter wall 168, which cooperate to stiffen the snow-pushing plates while also defining a rear cavity 170 (FIGS. 12-14, and 21). An inboard portion of perimeter wall 168 is coupled to hinge 138. Front panel 166 and perimeter wall 168 meet at a forward-extending lip 176 along an upper portion 160 of front panel 166. Lip 176 increases the stiffness of snow-pushing plate 136, although it will be appreciated that other lips or stiffening ribs or the like may be formed or established in molded body 164 to enhance its strength and structural rigidity as desired. Molded body 164 may be made of resinous plastic, and may alternatively be made of fiber-reinforced resin, stamped sheet metal, or substantially any other suitable material.

A flexible scraper blade 158 is attached to a lower portion of each front panel 166 via a plurality of fasteners 172, which extend through front panel 166 and are secured where they protrude into rear cavity 170 (FIG. 13). Scraper blades 158 are generally made of a resilient material, such as hard rubber, and are vertically adjustable to control the degree to which they contact the ground surface being cleared of snow, or to adjust for wear. In the illustrated embodiment, front panel 166 defines a plurality of vertical slots 174 (FIGS. 14, 21, and 25) for receiving fasteners 172 in a manner that permits each scraper blade 158 to be adjusted vertically by first loosening fasteners 172, adjusting scraper blade 158 to the desired height, and then tightening the fasteners 172 in their respective slots 174.

Flexible scraper blade 158 includes an inboard edge portion 158 b that extends laterally beyond front panel 166 of molded body 164, in the vicinity of hinge 138, such as shown in FIG. 12. Edge portions 158 b extends at least slightly laterally inwardly (i.e., inboard of the housing's sidewall 114 a or 114 b), and cooperates with forward end portion 162 a of mounting plate 162 (which has a forward-lower corner portion 162 c that projects forwardly of a radiused forward-lower corner portion 114 c of each housing sidewall 114 a, 114 b) to substantially limit or prevent snow from passing under hinge 138 and between snow-pushing plate 136 and the housing sidewall 114 a, 114 b (and/or the forward end portion 162 a of mounting plate 162), as the snow blower and plow apparatus is moved through an accumulation of snow. This facilitates snow-pushing plates 136 and snow blower mechanism 112 clearing a substantially uninterrupted path through an accumulation of snow, without leaving lines of snow or other materials that could otherwise bypass the inlet portion 118 of the snow blower housing 114.

Optionally, and with reference to FIGS. 27-29, an alternative snow-pushing plate 236 includes a molded body 264 and flexible scraper blade 258 that are substantially identical to the body 164 and scraper blade 158 of snow-pushing plate 136, but which permit additional adjustment and support of the scraper blade. As best shown in FIGS. 28 and 29, an adjustable-height support or backing plate 240 is positioned between scraper blade 258 and the front panel 266 of snow-pushing plate 236. Backing plate 240 is coupled to molded body 264 by the same fasteners 272 that couple scraper blade 258 to the molded body, with fasteners engaging slots 274 in front panel 266 to permit vertical adjustment of scraper blade 258 and backing plate 240 relative to molded body 264. In addition, backing plate 240 is vertically-adjustable relative to scraper blade 258 via vertically-aligned slots 248 that receive fasteners 272. Backing plate 240 is a substantially planar plate having greater stiffness than flexible scraper blade 258. For example, backing plate 240 may be made of sheet metal such as steel or aluminum alloy, a fiber-reinforced resinous plastic, or substantially any other suitably strong and stiff material. The other portions or components of snow-pushing plate 236 are substantially the same as snow-pushing plate 136, so that these may be understood with reference to the above description.

The mounting arrangement of backing plate 240 and scraper blade 258 permits the operator to independently select and set the height of scraper blade 258 relative to molded body 264, and to independently select and set the height of backing plate 240 relative to molded body 264 and scraper blade 258, to thereby adjust the degree to which scraper blade 258 contacts a ground surface to be cleared, and to adjust the stiffness of scraper blade 258. For example, by adjusting backing plate 240 to a lower position in which its lower edge 240 a is in close proximity to a lower edge 258 a of scraper blade 258, backing plate 240 provides increased support and stiffness for scraper blade 258 as the blade is moved across the surface being cleared. This arrangement may be particularly advantageous when clearing surfaces of dense snow, heavy slush, or ice accumulations in which a stronger and stiffer scraper blade is helpful to clear the heavy accumulations. By adjusting backing plate 240 to a higher position in which its lower edge 240 a is further separated (i.e. positioned further above) the lower edge 258 a of scraper blade 258, backing plate 240 provides less support for scraper blade 258, which allows the scraper blade 258 to flex more and provide more of a “squeegee” effect as it moves along the surface being cleared. This arrangement may be particularly advantageous when clearing surfaces of light snow or other low-density or light-weight accumulations, which do not require a stiff scraper blade, and which may be more effectively cleared when surface undulations can be accommodated by a more flexible scraper blade.

Backing plate 240 and scraper blade 258 include respective inboard edge portions 240 b, 258 b that extend laterally beyond front panel 266 of molded body 264, in the vicinity of hinge 238 (FIGS. 27 and 28). Edge portions 240 b, 258 b extend at least slightly laterally inwardly (i.e., inboard of the housing's sidewall 114 a or 114 b) when mounted thereto. This substantially limits or prevents snow from passing under hinge 238 and between snow-pushing plate 236 and the housing sidewall 114 a, 114 b (and/or the mounting plate 162 forward end portion 162 a) to which snow-pushing plate 236 is mounted, as the snow blower and plow apparatus is moved through an accumulation of snow. Thus, snow-pushing plates 236 and snow blower mechanism 112 will clear a substantially uninterrupted path through an accumulation of snow, without leaving lines of snow or other materials that miss the inlet portion 118 of the snow blower housing 114.

Each support strut 144 includes a tubular forward strut portion 144 a receiving a rearward strut portion 144 b in a telescoping arrangement that permits the overall length of support strut 144 to be adjusted by an operator, to thereby select the desired angle of each snow-pushing plate 136 relative to housing 114. Forward strut portion 144 a couples to snow-pushing plate 136 at support tab 146 (FIGS. 13, 21, and 25), while rearward strut portion 144 b couples to a tab 188 formed by the rearward end portion 162 b of mounting plate 162. Rearward strut portion 144 b is telescopingly received within the tubular forward strut portion 144 a, which may be prevented from sliding rearwardly beyond a selected position by a removable lock pin 178 a inserted through one of a plurality of cross-drilled holes 179, which are formed or established in rearward strut portion 144 b (FIGS. 21 and 22). By preventing forward strut portion 144 a from sliding rearwardly along rearward strut portion 144 b beyond a predetermined location, the corresponding snow-pushing plate 136 is prevented from pivoting rearwardly about hinge 138 beyond a predetermined angle relative to the sidewall 114 a or 114 b of snow blower housing 114.

Forward strut portion 144 a is longitudinally separable from rearward strut portion 144 b regardless of whether lock pin 178 a is in place, such as shown in FIG. 22, since the lock pin 178 a only limits or prevents forward strut portion 144 a from moving rearwardly along rearward strut portion 144 b. However, the forward and rearward strut portions 144 a, 144 b remain attached to one another and are biased together via an elastic cord 180 held in tension. Cord 180 extends through tubular forward strut portion 144 a and is coupled at its forward end portion 180 a to an attachment pin 182, which also pivotally couples forward strut portion 144 a to support tab 146 on snow-pushing plate 136 (FIGS. 21 and 22). Elastic cord 180 has a rearward portion 180 b that is coupled to rearward strut portion 144 b to form a joint portion or region 184 where the forward and rearward strut portions 144 a, 144 b may be pivoted relative to one another once the strut portions are longitudinally separated, such as shown in FIGS. 18, 20, 22, 23, 24 a, and 24 b.

In the illustrated embodiment, rearward portion 180 b of elastic cord 180 is looped around and through a ring 186 at rearward strut portion 144 b, which permits elastic cord 180 to pivot at ring 186, and which also permits elastic cord 180 to bend or flex at joint region 184, such as best shown in FIGS. 20 and 23. Elastic cord 180 is generally held in tension at least when forward strut portion 144 a and rearward strut portion 144 b are longitudinally separated, such as shown in FIGS. 22-24 a, and keeps the strut portions at least loosely connected to one another at joint region 184, even when the strut portions are separated from one another and/or pivoted relative to one another when snow-pushing plate 136 is moved to the retracted configuration, such as shown in FIGS. 18 and 20. However, by maintaining elastic tension in cord 180 at all lengths of support strut 144, the forward strut portion 144 a will be held in contact with lock pin 178 a regardless of which hole 179 of rearward strut portion 144 b is engaged by the lock pin.

This arrangement has several advantages, including (i) lock pin 178 a need only be inserted in one of the holes 179 of rearward strut portion 144 b, and does not need to be aligned with additional holes in the forward strut portion; (ii) lock pin 178 a need not be removed from rearward strut portion 144 b in order to separate the strut portions prior to moving snow-pushing plate 136 to its retracted configuration; and (iii) snow blower housing 144 can more easily be moved backwards through an accumulation of snow because elastic cord 180 can stretch to permit the plates 136 to pivot forwardly if they contact snow or other obstructions while moving backwards, and the plates will return to the angled position set by lock pin 178 a after the obstructions are cleared or the housing 114 is again moved forwardly. Optionally, however, it is envisioned that cross-drilled holes may be formed or established in the forward strut portion so that these holes may be selectively aligned with holes 179 in rearward strut portion. In such an arrangement, lock pin 178 a may be positioned in the aligned holes of the forward and rearward strut portions to effectively lock the strut portions together and thereby substantially prevent pivoting movement of the corresponding snow-pushing plate 136 in either direction until the lock pin is removed.

At its rearward end, rearward strut portion 144 b has a 90-degree bend that is received in an opening in the tab 188 formed by the rearward end portion 162 b of mounting plate 162, such as shown in FIGS. 18, 21, and 25. Thus, rearward strut portion 144 b is permitted to pivot relative to mounting plate 162 when the forward and rearward strut portions 144 a, 144 b are separated from one another (FIG. 24B). Rearward strut portion 144 b is retained at tab 188 by another lock pin 178 b. Forward strut portion 144 is likewise able to pivot about attachment pin 182 at support tab 146.

Each snow-pushing plate 136 may be selectively retained in its retracted configuration by a retainer system that includes an elastic retainer cord 190 having a knob or ball 192 at its distal end, and a forked receiving element 194 defined by rearward end portion 162 b of mounting plate 162. As best shown in FIGS. 14-16, elastic retainer cord 190 is tethered at its proximal end to a fastener 196 that extends through a lower portion of perimeter wall 168. The retainer cord 190 extends along a lower portion of rear cavity 174, and then exits the cavity through an opening 198 in an outboard side portion of perimeter wall 168 (FIG. 16), where knob 192 is attached.

Receiving element 194 includes two spaced and rearwardly-extending retainer tabs 200 defining a channel 202 therebetween for receiving a portion of elastic retainer cord 190 (FIGS. 14-16). Channel 202 is sufficiently wide so that knob 192 cannot pass through the channel. As best shown in FIG. 16, retainer tabs 200 are each bent longitudinally away from the respective snow-pushing plate 136 to help prevent knob 192 from inadvertently detaching from receiving element 194 during use of snow blower mechanism 112 while the corresponding snow-pushing plate is in the retracted configuration of FIGS. 15-17, 19 and 24C. Thus, when one of the snow-pushing plates 136 is moved rearwardly to the stowed or retracted configuration, the operator may grasp knob 192 and pull outwardly to stretch elastic retainer cord 190, pulling the retainer cord between retainer tabs 200 and into channel 202 of receiving element 194, and then releasing knob 192 so that it is retained against the retainer tabs 200. The elastic tension in retainer cord 190 will substantially retain snow-pushing plate 136 in the retracted configuration until the operator again grasps the knob 192, pulls it out from engagement with retainer tabs 200 until elastic retainer cord 190 is no longer positioned in channel 202, and releases the retainer cord so that it is once again held in place against the outboard portion of perimeter wall 168 at opening 198, and held there by tension in retainer cord 190.

The angle of each snow-pushing plate 136 relative to snow blower housing 114 may be adjusted by removing the lock pin 178 a at joint region 184 of support strut 144, adjusting the overall length of support strut 144 by axially sliding forward strut portion 144 a relative to rearward strut portion 144 b until the desired hole 179 is exposed, and re-inserting the lock pin 178 a into the desired hole 179 to thereby fix the support strut 144 at its new length, to provide the desired plate angle. For example, at longer lengths of support strut 144, the snow-pushing plates 136 will funnel snow into the intake portion 118 of snow blower housing 114, to permit the snow blower mechanism 112 to clear a larger width path through an accumulation of snow than would be possible without the plates. At an intermediate length of support struts 144, the snow-pushing plates 136 may each be set at an angle that is substantially perpendicular to the corresponding sidewalls of housing 114, so that the snow-pushing plates 136 will push snow ahead of the plates as the snow blower mechanism is moved forward through an accumulation of snow, but will not substantially bias the snow toward or away from the intake portion 118 of housing 114. At shorter lengths of support strut 144, snow pushing plates 136 will be angled rearwardly to push an accumulation of snow laterally outwardly away from housing 114 as the snow blower mechanism 112 is pushed forwardly through an accumulation of snow.

To reconfigure the snow-pushing plates 136 from one of the extended positions to the fully retracted position, the lock pin 178 a at joint region 184 may be left in place in the rearward support strut 144 b while forward strut portion 144 a is pulled outwardly until it separates from rearward strut portion 144 b. This may be accomplished by moving the corresponding snow-pushing plate 136 to an over-extended forward position, such as shown in FIG. 24A. Once the forward and rearward strut portions are separated from one another, rearward strut portion 144 b may be pivoted toward mounting plate 162 and the corresponding sidewall of housing 114, and forward strut portion 144 a may be pivoted into rear cavity 170 and against the rear surface of front panel 166 of snow-pushing plate 136, as the snow-pushing plate is pivoted rearwardly (FIG. 24B).

As described above, the forward and rearward strut portions 144 a, 144 b remain attached to one another at joint region 184 by elastic cord 180. The elastic cord 180 permits the strut portions to be pivoted to substantially any degree relative to one another (e.g., approximately 170-180 degrees when snow-pushing plate 136 is fully retracted), such as shown in FIGS. 18 and 20. Referring to FIG. 18, when the snow-pushing plate 136 (not shown in FIG. 18) is fully retracted, forward strut portion 144 a is positioned above rearward strut portion 144 b so that joint region 184 is positioned near hinge 138 and is the forward-most part of support strut 144. With support strut 144 in this position and configuration, rearward strut portion 144 b rests atop a bracket or tab 203 that projects outwardly from mounting plate 162 for that purpose. Tab 203 is provided since strut 144 would otherwise be supported only at tabs 146 and 188, which are in close proximity to one another with plate 136 retracted, and if the strut were left unsupported by tab 203, tabs 148 and 188 would experience large bending moments to support the strut in a somewhat cantilevered arrangement. Once snow-pushing plate 136 is fully retracted (FIG. 24C), the operator grasps knob 192 and places it against retainer tabs 200 of receiving element 194, with elastic retainer cord 190 placed in channel 202, as described above. With snow-pushing plate 136 in the retracted configuration, it will not engage (or only minimally engages) an accumulation of snow as snow blower mechanism is pushed or moved through the accumulation.

Optionally, if the operator wishes to remove one or both snow-pushing plates 136 from snow blower housing 114, this may be accomplished by removing the lock pin 178 b where the bent end portion of rearward support strut 144 b passes through tab 188 of the rearward end portion 162 h of mounting plate 162, and by removing a hinge pin 204 of hinge 138. Hinge pin 204 is removed by grasping an upper gripping portion 204 a of the hinge pin, and pulling the hinge pin upwardly to leave only mounting plate 162 attached to the corresponding sidewall of snow blower housing 114 (FIGS. 25 and 26).

It will be appreciated that combination snow blower and plow apparatus 110 may be fitted with inlet-blocking plates pivotably mounted at respective ones of the respective snow-pushing plates, in substantially the same manner as described above with reference to apparatus 10 with its inlet-blocking plates 40 a, 40 b. The operation of the inlet-blocking plates would be substantially the same, and would provide apparatus 110 with the ability to be operated in a pure plowing configuration, by substantially blocking inlet 118.

Optionally, another combination snow blower and plow apparatus of the present invention includes snow-pushing plate assemblies that are pivotable about a substantially horizontal axis between extended use and retracted non-use positions. For example, and with reference to FIGS. 30-33, a combination snow blower and plow apparatus 310 includes a snow blower housing 314 and a pair of snow-pushing plate assemblies 316, which are attached to respective left and right side walls 314 a, 314 b of the snow blower housing. As with combination snow blower and plow apparatus 210, the combination snow blower and plow apparatus 310 of FIGS. 30-33 includes a snow blower mechanism 312 that is substantially similar or identical to the snow blower mechanisms of apparatuses 10 and 110, such that the individual components and general function of the snow blower mechanism will be understood with reference to the above descriptions.

Each snow pushing plate assembly 316 includes a snow-pushing plate 318 that is pivotally coupled to a pivot-mount plate 320 via a hinge 322. An adjustable-length support strut 324 is coupled between a rear support member 326, one of which is mounted to each of the snow blower housing sidewalls 314 a and 314 b, and a forward support member 328, one of which is mounted to a rear surface of each snow-pushing plate 318. Each pivot-mount plate 320 is pivotally coupled to a respective housing sidewall 314 a or 314 b via a pivot pin 330 or the like (FIGS. 30, 32, and 33). In the illustrated embodiment, pivot pin 330 is located at a lower end portion of pivot mount plate 320 and the respective sidewall of housing 314. A fastener with a corresponding gripping portion or knob 332 is provided along an upper end portion of pivot mount plate 320, and is used for securing snow-pushing plate assembly 316 in either the lowered/extended position of FIGS. 30-32, and the raised/retracted position of FIG. 33, as will be described in more detail below.

Support strut 324 includes a forward strut portion 324 a and a rearward strut portion 324 b, the latter being telescopingly received inside of forward portion 324 a. A joint region 334 is defined generally where rearward portion 324 b enters forward portion 324 a, with each portion of the support strut 324 having one or more through-holes or cross-bores 336 (FIG. 31) formed or established therein for receiving a lock pin 338 when respective cross-bores 336 are in alignment in joint region 334. It will be appreciated that substantially any number of cross-bores 336 may be provided in the forward and rearward strut portions to allow for a desired number of angular positions of snow-pushing plate 318 relative to pivot mount 320 and snow blower housing 314, such as indicated by double-arrow A2 in FIG. 31.

Pivot mount plate 320 and snow-pushing plate 318 are substantially free to pivot about pivot pin 330 when the fastener associated with knob 332 is disengaged from the corresponding snow blower housing sidewall 314 a or 314 b. In the illustrated embodiment, the fastener associated with knob 332 is a threaded shaft that is received in one of two threaded bores 340 a, 340 b (FIGS. 30, 32, and 33), which are spaced radially equidistant from pivot pin 330, and which are spaced circumferentially from one another. The upper threaded bore 340 a (FIG. 33) is positioned substantially directly above pivot pin 330, and is engaged by the fastener associated with knob 332 when snow-pushing plate 318 and pivot mount plate 320 are in the lowered use position of FIGS. 30-32. The knob 332 may be grasped and turned by the operator to disengage the associated fastener from the upper threaded bore 340 a, which permits snow-pushing plate 318 and pivot mount plate 320 to be pivoted about pivot pin 330, such as shown by curved arrow A1 in FIG. 32.

With snow-pushing plate 318 and pivot mount plate 320 in the raised non-use position of FIG. 33, the fastener associated with knob 332 is rotated to securely engage the fastener with the lower threaded bore 340 b, thus securing snow-pushing plate assembly 316 in the raised non-use position. A retaining tab 342 is attached to each sidewall 314 a, 314 b of snow blower housing 314, and is engaged by snow-pushing plate 318 when snow-pushing plate assembly 316 is in its raised non-use position, such as shown in FIG. 33. This limits or prevents snow-pushing plate 318 from pivoting outwardly from its substantially vertical orientation when in the raised non-use position.

Typically, it is desirable to first position snow-pushing plate 318 in substantially co-planar or parallel alignment with pivot-mount plate 320 prior to pivoting snow-pushing plate assembly 316 to the raised non-use position. This is shown, for example, in FIG. 31, in which double arrow A2 demonstrates the range of positions that snow-pushing plate 318 may assume relative to pivot-mount plate 320 and left sidewall 314 a of snow blower housing 314, ranging from a perpendicular or ninety degree angle, to a parallel or zero degree angle in which plate 314 extends straight forward, parallel with housing sidewall 314 a, 314 b. This parallel position is also shown in phantom lines in FIG. 32. By positioning snow-pushing plate 318 parallel with pivot-mount plate 320 when pivoting the snow-pushing plate assembly 316 about pivot pin 330, the snow-pushing plate assembly 316 adds very little to the overall width of the snow blower housing 314 when in the raised non-use position of FIG. 33.

Adjustable-length support strut 324 remains coupled to both rear support member 326 and forward support member 328 when plate assembly 316 is moving between the lowered use position and the raised non-use position. To facilitate this, each of the support members 326, 328 includes a respective stationary bracket portion 326 a, 328 a and a respective pivotable sleeve or barrel portion 326 b, 328 b. Barrel portion 326 b forms an opening that receives a bent tip portion 329 of rear strut portion 324 b, while barrel portion 328 b is coupled to a forward tip portion 331 of forward strut portion 324 a, such as shown in FIGS. 32 and 33. Optionally, a bushing or bearing is positioned between the stationary bracket portions and the pivotable sleeve or barrel portions to facilitate the pivoting or rotating movement. Each barrel portion 326 b, 328 b is rotatably or pivotably received in its corresponding stationary bracket portion 326 a, 328 a, which permits the barrel portions to rotate about substantially horizontal axes when snow-pushing plate assembly 316 is moved between its lowered use position and its raised non-use position, such as shown in FIGS. 32 and 33.

For example, barrel portion 328 b of forward support member 328 pivots approximately 30-35 degrees (clockwise, as shown in FIG. 33 compared to FIG. 32) relative to snow-pushing plate 318 when snow-pushing plate assembly 316 is moved from its lowered use position of FIG. 32 to its raised non-use position of FIG. 33. Similarly, barrel portion 326 b of rear support member 326 pivots approximately 60-70 degrees (counterclockwise, as shown in FIG. 33 compared to FIG. 32) relative to stationary bracket portion 326 a and right sidewall 314 b of snow blower housing 314, as snow-pushing plate assembly 316 is pivoted from its lowered use position (FIG. 32) to its raised non-use position (FIG. 33).

Accordingly, snow-pushing plate assemblies 316 may be moved from the extended or lowered use positions to the retracted or raised non-use positions by removing lock pin 338 from cross bores 336 in joint region 334 of support strut 324, pivoting snow-pushing plate 318 forwardly until it is substantially coplanar or parallel with pivot-mount plate 320 (double-arrow A2 in FIG. 31), rotating knob 332 to disengage its fastener from the upper threaded bore 340 a, pivoting snow-pushing plate 318 and pivot mount plate 320 together about pivot pin 330 (arrow A1 in FIG. 32), and re-engaging the fastener associated with knob 332 with the lower threaded bore 340 b. Retaining tab 342 retains snow-pushing plate 318 in a substantially vertical orientation and substantially limits or prevents the plate from pivoting outwardly about hinge 322. Snow-pushing plate assembly 316 can be moved from the raised non-use position to the lowered use position by performing the above steps in reverse order. Once snow-pushing plate 318 is set at a desired angle relative to pivot mount plate 320, lock pin 338 is positioned in aligned cross bores 336 in the support strut 324 to secure the snow-pushing plate at that angle.

Thus, combination snow blower and plow apparatus 310 can be repositioned between its use and non-use positions simply by removing one pin and one threaded fastener, pivoting the snow-pushing components upwardly, and re-setting the threaded fastener to secure the snow-pushing wing in the raised non-use position. It will be appreciated that other types of fasteners may be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention and, further, that the snow-pushing plate assemblies may be provided as a retrofit kit for attachment to an existing standard snow blower housing or the like.

Referring now to FIGS. 34-42, another combination snow blower and plow apparatus 410 includes a snow blower mechanism 412 having a snow blower housing 414 with opposite sidewalls 414 a, 414 b to which respective snow-pushing plate assemblies 416 are attached. Each snow-pushing plate assembly 416 includes a snow-pushing plate 418 that is coupled to a mount plate 420 in a manner which permits the snow-pushing plate 418 to be selectively pivoted and slid or translated along mount plate 420. Snow-pushing plate 418 is coupled to mount plate 420 via upper and lower tracks 422 a, 422 b along mount plate 420, and by an adjustable-length support strut 424 that is coupled between a rear support member 426 on mount plate 420, and a forward support member 428 along a rear surface of snow-pushing plate 418. A lock pin 430 is positionable in cross bores that are formed or established in a forward strut portion 424 a and a rearward strut portion 424 b of support strut 424. Rearward strut portion 424 b is telescopingly received in forward strut portion 424 a, so that support strut 424 is substantially similar in construction to support strut 324, described above.

Mount plate 420 may be formed from a single sheet of metal, such as steel or aluminum alloy, by forming or establishing longitudinal slots 432 prior to bending the upper and lower end portions of the plate to form the upper and lower tracks 422 a, 422 b, and cutting a central hole or opening 421 to provide access to an auger-mounting region of each snow blower housing sidewall 414 a, 414 b. Upper track 422 a and lower track 422 b of mount plate 420 each defines a respective longitudinal slot 432 having enlarged semi-circular openings 434 a and 434 b (FIGS. 35 and 37) at the forward and rearward ends of slot 432, respectively. Each longitudinal slot 432 is configured to receive a respective upper pin 436 a or lower pin 436 b, both of which are oriented substantially vertically and coaxially with one another, and are coupled (such as via welding or mechanical fasteners or the like) along a rear surface of snow-pushing plate 418, at a distal end thereof, as best shown in FIG. 39.

Each pin 436 a, 436 b has a diameter that is substantially equal to or smaller than the width of longitudinal slot 432 formed in the respective upper and lower tracks 422 a, 422 b of mount plate 420. This permits the pins 436 a, 436 b to slide or translate along longitudinal slots 432 and freely enter the enlarged openings 434 a, 434 b at each end of longitudinal slot 432. Thus, upper and lower pins 436 a, 436 b permit snow-pushing plate 418 to pivot relative to mount plate 420, and also permit the snow-pushing plate 418 to slide along upper and lower tracks 422 a, 422 b when repositioning the snow-pushing plate 418 between an extended use position (FIGS. 34 and 38) and a retracted non-use position (left side of FIG. 42), as will be described in more detail below.

Each pin 436 a, 436 b further includes a lower shoulder or enlarged-diameter portion 438 (FIG. 35), which has substantially the same or slightly smaller diameter than the diameter of each semi-circular opening 434 a, 434 b in longitudinal slot 432. The diameter of shoulder portion 438 is at least somewhat greater than the width of longitudinal slot 432, so that when shoulder portion 438 engages or is received in one of the enlarged openings 434 a or 434 b, the shoulder portion 438 blocks the corresponding pin 436 a or 436 b from entering and sliding along longitudinal slot 432 until shoulder portion 438 is first disengaged from the enlarged opening 434 a or 434 b. In the illustrated embodiment, shoulder portion 438 of each pin 436 a, 436 b may be engaged with enlarged opening 434 a or 434 b when the corresponding pin 436 a, 436 b is aligned therewith, and when the pins (and all of snow-pushing plate 418) are lifted upwardly relative to mount plate 420 and its tracks 422 a, 422 b (FIG. 35).

It will be appreciated that the force of gravity will tend to cause snow-pushing plate 418 and its pins 436 a, 436 b to drop relative to mount plate 420 and tracks 422 a, 422 b, which would tend to disengage the shoulder portion 438 of each pin 436 a, 436 b from the respective enlarged openings 434 a, 434 b. Therefore, a biasing member such as a compression spring 440 (FIG. 36) is positioned along at least upper pin 436 a (and, optionally, along lower pin 436 b) for biasing the pin and its corresponding snow-pushing plate 418 upwardly against the force of gravity. This maintains the engagement of shoulder portion 438 with the enlarged openings 434 a or 434 b when the shoulder is already positioned therein.

To accomplish this upward-biasing or lifting effect, compression spring 440 is disposed between an upper washer 442 and a middle washer 442 b, which are positioned in spaced arrangement along upper pin 436 a and above the upper track 422 a (FIG. 36). A threaded nut 444 is disposed at an upper end portion of upper pin 436 a, and positioned directly above the upper washer 442 a, so that washer 442 a is retained at pin 436 a. Middle washer 442 b is positioned below spring 440 and above the upper track 422 a so that middle washer 442 b will slide along an upper surface of track 422 a when the upper pin 436 a translates along the longitudinal slot 432. A lower washer 442 is positioned along shoulder portion 438 of upper pin 436 a, and is located between a lower surface of upper track 422 a and an upper edge of snow-pushing plate 418 to provide a smooth flat surface for engaging track 422 a along the longitudinal slot (FIGS. 35 and 36). It will be appreciated that lower pin 436 b may be substantially identical to upper pin 436 a (i.e., including a spring and washers as described above), but in the illustrated embodiment, lower pin 436 b simply includes a shoulder portion, with no associated spring, so that all of the upward biasing force is provided by the spring 440 that is disposed along upper pin 436 a.

Each snow-pushing plate 418 includes a flexible scraper blade 446 coupled to a support plate 448, which in turn is pivotably coupled to a lower end portion of snow-pushing plate 418 via a hinge 450 that defines a substantially horizontal pivot axis, such as shown in FIGS. 40 and 42. Hinge 450 is positioned so that its pivot axis is spaced above a bottom edge of snow-pushing plate 418, which allows the lower end portion of snow-pushing plate 418 to back the support plate 448 and, in turn, supports flexible scraper blade 446 when apparatus 410 is pushed forwardly through an accumulation of snow.

Hinge 450 permits support plate 448 and flexible scraper blade 446 to pivot forwardly (as indicated by curved arrow A3 in FIG. 34) when the apparatus 410 is moved rearwardly, which causes the rear surfaces of the scraper blade 446 and/or support plate 448 to be contacted from behind by snow or other debris. In addition, the support plate 448 and scraper blade 446 can be manually pivoted upwardly to a fully raised position (FIGS. 40 and 42), for stowing the snow-pushing plates 418 prior to retracting the snow-pushing plates 418. It will be appreciated that flexible scraper blade 446 may be height-adjustable, such as in a manner similar to that described above with reference to the flexible scraper blades of plate assemblies 116 and 216.

To move snow-pushing plates 418 from their extended use positions of FIGS. 34 and 38 to their fully retracted non-use positions (left side of FIG. 42), lock pin 430 is removed from support strut 424 to permit the rearward strut portion 424 b to telescope relative to forward strut portion 424 a. This permits the snow-pushing plate 418 to pivot forwardly and inwardly about a substantially vertical axis defined by upper and lower pins 436 a, 436 b, which rotate in the forward enlarged openings 434 a of longitudinal slots 432 in the upper and lower tracks 422 a, 422 b. Once each snow-pushing plate 418 is pivoted forwardly so as to be substantially parallel to its corresponding mount plate 420, such as shown at left in FIG. 40, the rearward strut portion 424 b is substantially fully extended from forward strut portion 424 a.

Snow-pushing plate 418 is then manually urged downwardly against the upward biasing force of compression spring 440, as indicated by arrow A4 in FIG. 39. This disengages shoulder portions 438 from the forward enlarged openings 434 a in longitudinal slots 432, and permits snow-pushing plate 418 to be slid rearwardly as the upper and lower pins 436 a, 436 b slide along longitudinal slots 432 until the pins engage the rearward enlarged openings 434 b of slots 432 (left side of FIG. 42). Once the pins 436 a, 436 b reach the rearward enlarged openings 434 b, compression spring 440 is again permitted to bias snow-pushing plate 418 upwardly so that shoulder portions 438 engage the rearward enlarged openings 434 b. This effectively locks and secures snow-pushing plate 418 relative to mounting plate 420 until the snow-pushing plate is manually biased downwardly to again disengage shoulder portions 438 from rearward enlarged openings 434 b, such as for moving the plate 418 back to its extended position.

In the stowed, non-use position, the rearward strut portion 424 b is substantially fully retracted inside of forward strut portion 424 a (FIG. 42). The forward or distal end of each snow-pushing plate 418 is substantially precluded from pivoting outwardly relative to mount plate 420 and housing sidewall 414 a or 414 b when the snow-pushing plate 418 is in its retracted non-use position because rearward strut portion 424 b cannot be urged further into forward portion 424 a, and because the vertical pivot axis of rearward strut portion 424 b in rear support member 426 is spaced rearwardly and outwardly of the substantially vertical pivot axis that is defined by pins 436 a, 436 b when the pins are positioned in rearward enlarged openings 434 b, causing support strut 424 to bind and block such movement about two different pivot axes. However, it will be appreciated that a separate retraining member, such as a clip, strap, magnet, or the like may be used to further retain the snow-pushing plate 418 in its fully retracted non-use position. It will be appreciated that snow-pushing plate 418 may be deployed from its refracted non-use position to its extended use position by following the above steps in reverse order.

Thus, combination snow blower and plow apparatus 410 can be repositioned between its use and non-use positions by lifting only the relatively light-weight scraper blade portion, and then pivoting and sliding the snow-pushing wing rearwardly alongside the snow blower housing to its retracted and stowed position, while the support strut remains coupled between the housing and the snow-pushing wing. Snow-pushing plate assemblies 416 may be provided separately from the snow blower mechanism, such as for use as a retrofit kit that can be attached to an existing snow blower via mechanical fasteners, for example.

Referring now to FIGS. 43-49, another combination snow blower and plow apparatus 510 includes a snow blower mechanism 512 and snow blower housing 514 with opposite sidewalls 514 a, 514 b, which are substantially similar to the snow blower mechanisms and housings described above. However, snow blower and plow apparatus 510 includes a pair of one-piece snow-pushing wing assemblies 516, which are readily installed or removed from the snow blower housing 514 as desired, and are not stowed on the housing 514 itself when the wings 516 are not in use.

Each snow-pushing wing 516 includes a body portion 518 having a substantially planar forward snow-pushing surface 520, an upper lip 522 that projects forwardly of forward snow-pushing surface 520, and perimeter walls 524 a-d that extend rearwardly from forward surface 520 and upper lip 522. As best shown in FIG. 46, the perimeter walls include an upper perimeter wall 524 a that forms the upper surface of body 518, an upper perimeter wall 524 b that defines the outboard surface of body 518, a lower perimeter wall 524 c that defines the lower surface of body 518, and an inboard perimeter wall 524 d that defines the inboard mounting surface of body 518. Perimeter walls 524 a-d cooperate with forward surface 520 and upper lip 522 to form a rear cavity 526 (FIG. 46). Body portion 518 may be unitarily formed, such as by molding from resinous plastic or fiber-reinforced resinous plastic or the like, or may be stamped or formed in another manner from a single sheet of metal, for example. A flexible scraper blade 528 is attached along a lower portion of forward surface 520, and may be height-adjustable in a similar manner as described above, such as to adjust for wear or to set a desired degree of engagement with a surface being cleared of snow or debris. Flexible scraper blade 528 may be made from hard rubber or other sufficiently tough, resilient, and wear-resistant material, or may be made from a relatively softer material that more readily adapts or conforms to irregularities in a surface being cleared of snow.

A pair of vertically-aligned mounting rails 530 are positioned in spaced arrangement along inboard perimeter wall 524 d of body 518. Each mounting rail 530 has a generally I-shaped cross section for engaging a corresponding C-shaped bracket 532 that is positioned along each sidewall 514 a, 514 b of snow blower housing 514 (FIGS. 45 and 47-49). Each snow-pushing wing 516 may be moved up and down relative to snow blower housing 514, with mounting rails 530 slidably engaging the corresponding brackets 532 for installation and removal of the wings 516, such as shown in FIG. 47.

Snow-pushing wing 516 is at its optimal height when a bore 534 (FIG. 47) defined in inboard perimeter wall 524 d is aligned with a corresponding threaded bore 536 (FIG. 47) in snow blower housing sidewall 514 a, 514 b. A threaded fastener 535 (FIG. 45) is associated with a knob 538 (FIG. 46), which is configured so that the knob 538 can be readily grasped by an operator. The knob's corresponding fastener 535 is inserted through bore 534 from inside rear cavity 526, and rotated to threadedly engage bore 536 in sidewall 514 a, 514 b, such as shown in FIG. 46. Knob 538 is rotated until its fastener 535 is secure, so that each wing 516 is retained at snow blower 514 by knob 538 and by mounting rails 530 in brackets 532. Knob 538 and its corresponding fastener 535 may be rotated in an opposite direction and disengaged, thus permitting the wing 516 to be lifted until the mounting rails 530 fully disengage the corresponding brackets 532 for removal of the wing.

Accordingly, snow-pushing assemblies 516 are simple and lightweight structures that are relatively inexpensive to manufacture. Although it is envisioned that a provision could be made for mounting the wings to a snow blower housing in a non-use position, such as a raised position or on top of the housing, the embodiment described herein is intended for simple installation and removal of the wings, which would typically be stored separately from the snow blower mechanism when they are not in use. Wings 516 may be readily retrofitted or adapted for installation on a standard snow blower, such as by attaching brackets 532 to the snow blower sidewalls and drilling or establishing a bore for receiving the fastener 535 associated with knob 538, for example.

Thus, the combination snow blower and plow apparatuses of the present invention can be used to push or plow snow from a surface on which the snow has accumulated, and may be reconfigured to clear an extra-wide path while discharging snow some distance away from the blower using the blower mechanism. The apparatus can also be operated as a conventional or standard-width snow blower in which the wings and inlet-blocking plates are folded rearwardly against the sidewalls of the housing. This reconfigurability allows areas of snow accumulation to be rapidly cleaned in a plowing mode, which may be particularly useful in areas of minimal snow or in particularly heavy/wet snow that is difficult to discharge an appreciable distance using the snow blower mechanism. Larger snow accumulations may best be cleaned by use of the snow blower mechanism, either with or without the wings extended to expand the width of the path cleared by the snow blower and plow in a single pass. This allows snow to be discharged well away from the surface being cleared, such as to prevent undesired buildups of snow on the edges of cleared areas. It is envisioned that the snow-pushing plate assemblies and their respective hinges (when so-equipped) may be provided as a retrofit kit for attachment to existing snow blowers or snow blower mechanisms.

Changes and modifications in the specifically described embodiments can be carried out without departing from the principles of the present invention which is intended to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims, as interpreted according the principles of patent law, including the doctrine of equivalents. 

1. A combination snow blower and plow apparatus comprising: a snow blower mechanism having a housing with opposite sides and defining a snow inlet portion between said opposite sides, said snow blower mechanism further having a snow discharge portion in communication with said snow inlet portion; a snow-pushing plate pivotably coupled to one of said opposite sides of said housing, said snow-pushing plate being independently pivotable between a plurality of extended snow-pushing positions in which said snow-pushing plate extends outwardly at an angle from a respective one of said sides of said housing, and a retracted position in which said snow-pushing plate is positioned alongside and generally parallel to said one of said opposite side of said housing; a support strut having first and second strut portions that are coupled to said side of said housing and to said snow-pushing plate, respectively, said first and second strut portions being repositionable relative to one another to provide different lengths of said support strut for supporting said snow-pushing plate in said plurality of extended snow-pushing positions, and said first and second strut portions being further repositionable relative to one another for positioning said snow-pushing plate in said retracted position; and wherein when said snow-pushing plate is in said plurality of extended snow-pushing positions, said snow-pushing plate is operable to direct snow toward said snow inlet portion as said snow blower mechanism is moved through an accumulation of snow, and when said snow-pushing plate is in said retracted position, said snow-pushing plates do not substantially engage the snow as said snow blower mechanism is moved through the accumulation of snow.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first and second strut portions are configured in telescoping arrangement, and at least one of said strut portions comprises a plurality of lateral bores in spaced arrangement near a joint portion of said support strut, said lateral bores for selectively receiving a pin which, when disposed in one of said bores, substantially fixes said strut portions relative to one another, thereby fixing at least one of the minimum length and the maximum length of said support strut.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said first and second strut portions are selectively pivotable relative to one another at said joint portion of said support strut for positioning said snow-pushing plate in said retracted position with said first and second strut portions at least partially separated and pivoted relative to one another.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising an elastic cord for coupling said first and second strut portions to one another, said elastic cord configured to act as a hinge that couples said first and second strut portions together when said strut portions are pivoted relative to one another for positioning said snow-pushing plate in said retracted position.
 5. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a mounting plate coupled to said housing for mounting said snow-pushing plate to said housing, wherein said mounting plate comprises a support tab that projects outwardly for supporting said support strut when said first and second strut portions are pivoted relative to one another at said joint portion and said snow-pushing plate is in said retracted position.
 6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said snow-pushing plate is pivotable about a substantially vertical pivot axis to move said snow-pushing plate from one of said extended snow-pushing positions to said retracted position.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising: an elastic retainer cord having a tethered proximal end portion coupled to one of said snow-pushing plate and said housing of said snow blower mechanism, said retainer cord further having a distal end portion comprising an enlarged portion having a larger cross sectional dimension than a diameter of said retainer cord; a receiving element coupled to the other of said snow-pushing plate and said housing, said receiving element defining an opening having a smaller cross sectional dimension than said enlarged portion at said distal end portion of said retainer cord; and wherein said opening of said receiving element is configured to selectively receive a portion of said retainer cord when said receiving element is engaged by said enlarged portion, to thereby retain said snow-pushing plate in the retracted position.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said enlarged portion of said retainer cord comprises a generally spherical knob.
 9. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising a mounting plate that is coupled to said housing for mounting said snow-pushing plate to said housing, said mounting plate comprising at least one track defining a longitudinal slot, and said snow-pushing plate comprising a pin at a proximal end portion thereof, said pin of said snow-pushing plate being received in said longitudinal slot of said track to permit both translating and pivoting movement of said snow-pushing plate relative to said mounting plate.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said snow-pushing plate is pivotable about a substantially horizontal pivot axis to move said snow-pushing plate from one of said extended snow-pushing positions to said retracted position.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a pivot-mount plate to which said snow-pushing plate is pivotably coupled, wherein said pivot-mount plate is pivotably coupled to said snow blower housing for rotation about said substantially horizontal pivot axis.
 12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a fastener at said pivot-mount plate, said fastener spaced radially from said substantially horizontal pivot axis and configured to selectively engage said snow blower housing side at two locations corresponding to said retracted and extended positions of said snow-pushing plate.
 13. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: one of said snow-pushing plates pivotably coupled to each of said opposite sides of said housing; an inlet-blocking plate movably coupled to each of said snow-pushing plates, said inlet-blocking plates being repositionable between an inlet-blocking use configuration in which said inlet-blocking plates cooperate to substantially obstruct said snow inlet portion, and a stored configuration in which said inlet-blocking plates are positioned substantially along said respective snow-pushing plates; and wherein when said inlet-blocking plates are positioned in their respective inlet-blocking use configurations, said inlet-blocking plates cooperate to substantially limit or prevent snow from entering said snow inlet as said snow blower mechanism is moved through the accumulation of snow, so that said snow blower mechanism is operable to push the snow in front of said snow blower mechanism.
 14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said snow-pushing plate comprises an inboard edge portion that extends inboard of the respective opposite side of the snow blower housing when said snow-pushing plate is in the extended position, whereby an accumulation of snow is directed into the snow inlet portion of the snow blower housing by the snow-pushing plate, including said inboard edge portion, to thereby prevent an accumulation of snow from passing between said snow-pushing plate and the respective opposite side of the snow blower housing as the snow blower mechanism is moved through the accumulation of snow.
 15. A combination snow blower and plow apparatus comprising: a snow blower mechanism having a housing with opposite sides and defining a snow inlet portion between said opposite sides, said snow blower mechanism further having a snow discharge portion in communication with said snow inlet portion; a snow-pushing plate pivotably coupled to one of said opposite sides of said housing, said snow-pushing plate being independently pivotable between a plurality of extended snow-pushing positions in which said snow-pushing plate extends outwardly at an angle from a respective one of said sides of said housing, and a retracted position in which said snow-pushing plate is positioned alongside and generally parallel to said one of said opposite side of said housing; a support strut extending between said snow-pushing plate and said one of said opposite sides of said housing for supporting said snow-pushing plate in said extended position; an elastic retainer cord having a tethered proximal end portion coupled to said snow-pushing plate and said housing, said retainer cord further having a distal end portion comprising an enlarged portion having a larger cross sectional dimension than a diameter of said retainer cord; a receiving element coupled to the other of said snow-pushing plate and said housing, said receiving element defining an opening having a smaller cross sectional dimension than said enlarged portion at said distal end portion of said retainer cord; and wherein said opening of said receiving element is configured to selectively receive a portion of said retainer cord while said receiving element is engaged by said enlarged portion to thereby retain said snow-pushing plate in the retracted position.
 16. A retrofit kit for a snow blower, the snow blower having a housing with opposite sides and defining a snow inlet portion between the opposite sides, the snow blower further having a snow discharge portion in communication with said snow inlet portion, said kit comprising: a pair of plate assemblies configured for attachment to the snow blower, each of said plate assemblies comprising: a mounting plate having a forward end portion and a rearward end portion, said mounting plate configured for attachment to one of the opposite sides of the snow blower housing; an outwardly-extendable snow-pushing plate coupled to said mounting plate via a hinge and configured to be pivotally movable between an extended snow-pushing position in which said snow-pushing plate extends outwardly at an angle from the snow blower, and a retracted position in which said snow-pushing plate is positioned alongside and generally parallel to the snow blower; a support strut having first and second strut portions that are coupled to said rearward end portion of said mounting plate and said snow-pushing plate, respectively, said support strut for supporting said snow-pushing plate in said extended snow-pushing position, and said first and second strut portions being selectively repositionable relative to one another for positioning said snow-pushing plate in said retracted position.
 17. The retrofit kit of claim 16, wherein said first and second strut portions are configured in telescoping arrangement, and at least one of said strut portions comprises a plurality of lateral bores in spaced arrangement near said joint portion, said lateral bores for selectively receiving a pin which, when disposed in one of said bores, substantially fixes said strut portions relative to one another, thereby fixing at least one of the minimum length and the maximum length of said support strut.
 18. The retrofit kit of claim 15, wherein said first and second strut portions are pivotable relative to one another at a joint portion of said support strut for positioning said snow-pushing plate in said retracted position.
 19. The retrofit kit of claim 18, further comprising an elastic cord for coupling said first and second strut portions to one another, said elastic cord configured to act as a hinge coupling said first and second strut portions together when said strut portions are pivoted relative to one another for positioning said snow-pushing plate in said retracted position.
 20. The retrofit kit of claim 19, further comprising: an elastic retainer cord having a tethered proximal end portion coupled to said snow-pushing plate, said retainer cord further having a distal end portion comprising an enlarged portion with a larger cross sectional dimension than a diameter of said retainer cord; a receiving element coupled to said rearward end portion of said mounting plate, said receiving element defining an opening having a smaller cross sectional dimension than said enlarged portion at said distal end portion of said retainer cord; and wherein said opening of said receiving element is configured to selectively receive a portion of said retainer cord while said receiving element is engaged by said enlarged portion, to thereby retain said snow-pushing plate in the retracted position.
 21. The retrofit kit of claim 20, wherein said mounting plate comprises a support tab projecting outwardly between said forward and rearward end portions, said support tab configured to support said support strut when said first and second strut portions are pivoted relative to one another at said joint portion and said snow-pushing plate is in said retracted position.
 22. The retrofit kit of claim 21, further comprising: an elastic retainer cord having a tethered proximal end portion coupled to one of said snow-pushing plate and said mounting plate, said retainer cord further having a distal end portion comprising an enlarged portion having a larger cross sectional dimension than a diameter of said retainer cord; a receiving element coupled to the other of said snow-pushing plate and said mounting plate, said receiving element defining an opening having a smaller cross sectional dimension than said enlarged portion at said distal end portion of said retainer cord; and wherein said opening of said receiving element is configured to selectively receive a portion of said retainer cord while said receiving element is engaged by said enlarged portion, to thereby retain said snow-pushing plate in the retracted position.
 23. A combination snow blower and plow apparatus comprising: a snow blower mechanism having a housing with opposite sides and defining a snow inlet portion between said opposite sides, said snow blower mechanism further having a snow discharge portion in communication with said snow inlet portion; a snow-pushing wing assembly comprising a snow-pushing surface and a mounting surface with a first mounting track disposed at said mounting surface; a second mounting track disposed at one of said sides of said housing, said second mounting track configured for releasable engagement with said first mounting track; a fastener positioned at said mounting surface of said snow-pushing wing assembly for selectively engaging said one of said sides of said housing and operable to secure said snow-pushing wing assembly at said housing when said first and second mounting tracks are in engagement with one another; and wherein said snow-pushing wing assembly is separable from said housing upon disengagement of said fastener from said one of said sides of said housing, and upon disengagement of said first mounting track from said second mounting track.
 24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein one of said first and second mounting tracks comprises an I-shaped cross section and the other of said first and second mounting tracks comprises a C-shaped cross section for receiving a portion of the I-shaped cross section.
 25. The apparatus of claim 23, comprising at least two of said first mounting tracks and at least two of said second mounting tracks, wherein each of said second mounting tracks corresponds to a respective one of said first mounting tracks.
 26. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said first and second mounting tracks are oriented substantially vertically and are configured to permit substantially vertical sliding movement of said snow-pushing wing assembly relative to said snow blower housing when said fastener is disengaged from said snow blower housing.
 27. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising a flexible scraper blade positioned along a lower end portion of said snow-pushing surface.
 28. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said wing assembly comprises a unitarily formed body that includes said snow-pushing surface and said mounting surface.
 29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein said unitarily formed body comprises molded resinous plastic.
 30. A retrofit kit for a snow blower, the snow blower having a housing with opposite sides and defining a snow inlet portion between the opposite sides, the snow blower further having a snow discharge portion in communication with said snow inlet portion, said kit comprising: a pair of snow-pushing wings, each wing comprising a snow-pushing surface and a mounting surface; a first mounting track disposed at said mounting surface of each of said wings; a second mounting track configured for coupling to each of said sides of said housing, said second mounting track configured for releasable engagement with said first mounting track; and a fastener configured to be positioned at said mounting surface of said snow-pushing wing assembly for selectively engaging said one of said sides of said housing, wherein said fastener is operable to secure said snow-pushing wing assembly at said housing when said first and second mounting tracks are in engagement with one another.
 31. The retrofit kit of claim 30, wherein said wings each comprise a unitarily formed body that includes said snow-pushing surface and said mounting surface.
 32. The retrofit kit of claim 31, wherein said unitarily formed body comprises molded resinous plastic. 